Frank Lampard made a disappointing start to his second spell in charge of Chelsea as they lost 1-0 at relegation-threatened Wolverhampton in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Matheus Nunes’ spectacular angled strike in the 31st minute earned Wolves a win at Molineux that pushed them four points clear of the bottom three.
Lampard, a long-standing Chelsea player and manager between 2019 and 2021, was brought in on an interim basis this week in the hope that his knowledge of the club can carry over to a successful end to the season as the board look to a temporary replacement for the fired Graham Potter.
Chelsea looked no different under Lampard, lacking a threat up front as they did in Potter’s final days. It’s now three league games in a row without a goal.
Lampard’s priority, however, is the Champions League, where Chelsea face reigning champions Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.
Chelsea appear to have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League thanks to their position in the Premier League. The team is in 11th place and 17 points from the top four.
Nunes’ goal came after the ball bounced off him on the right side of the box with the head of a Chelsea defender. The Portuguese midfielder struck first time into the far corner.
The match was marred by homophobic chanting by some Wolves fans, which was condemned by the Premier League and Chelsea.
“Chelsea will continue to work closely with Chelsea Pride and the wider football community to eradicate these vile chants from our game,” Chelsea said in a statement.
Report from The Associated Press.
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